Discord VS Google Hangouts

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On the last days of school, students manage to whisper their email addresses, phone numbers, BattleTag, whatever they’ll use to communicate over the summer, to their besties, so they can hang out online. This could be many things, from talking to collaborating on something to teaming up in the latest battle royale. Of the many ways to talk online, Google Hangouts and Discord are some of the top choices. But overall, which one trumps all others?

In case one is not familiar with either or both, Google Hangouts is a Google program, accessed through one’s email, through hangouts.google.com, or through an app. GH allows one to have a DM (direct message) or a large group chat with basically anyone with a Gmail account, as well as having video and voice calls. Discord, on the other hand, is a video and text platform targeted primarily towards the gaming community and can host DMs, servers (chats with multiple channels, users, bots, roles, and more). It also has the voice and video option as well.

Let’s start with the pros and cons of Google Hangouts. First, it’s free, completely and wholesomely, with no asterisks or small text on that. It also does not have any in-app purchases. Second, it’s user-friendly, like most of the other Google products- even for the most un-tech-savvy. It’s not too hard to navigate unless one get too nitty-gritty about one’s settings. It also has good security since it is connected to the user’s Google account. (Which means that non-Google users cannot use Hangouts.) However, group chats are chaotic since there are essentially no admin tools and everyone chats on the same channel.

As for Discord, it has it’s pros and cons as well. Where Discord shines the best is in it’s chosen target; gaming. On the app, it can sense what game the user is playing, and any online friends (which Discord will handily show when they’re on) can message someone asking if they can play. Also, instead of just large DMs, it has servers with multiple channels where users can chat in a specific place. If someone is playing Clash Royale, they can message in the #clash-royale channel, or if they’re playing Octopath Traveler, in that channel too. Another thing that Discord has that GH doesn’t, is roles and pinging. For example instead of just messaging, if there is an important announcement one can message @everyone to get their attention, or just a friend maybe, @JakeYPlayz. Users can also have roles, so if one needs to message someone important, message the @admins so only admins to the chat servers will get notified. Another pro is bots. Users can order a virtual donut, play music, catch pokemon, block swear words, and more. On the other hand, Discord has a more complicated setup, mainly because it was made for the tech-savvy. (The pro side to that is that it offers much for personalization and features.) The voice can be poor and sometimes glitches.

Before the final verdict is announced, think about what the two are aimed toward. Quite simply Google Hangouts was made for users with little tech experience, and DMs, where is shines best, as group chats are quite chaotic. Discord was aimed for gamers- which it works in fabulously, but the DMs are essentially Google Hangouts.

The judge has made its final ruling. Which one is better? The ruling is… it depends. Google Hangouts is good if users need a DM with only one person, and if one has little experience with tech. Discord is good if you have large amounts of people and need to control them (it has a large number of admin tools) and/or if you’re a serious gamer with a team.